During the first week of President Trump's first term, the Mexican Government had ambassadors in Washington ready to meet with him as part of the transition. It was then that Trump signed executive orders to fulfill his campaign promise to build a wall along the Mexican border which caused the ambassadors to cancel the meeting and return to Mexico.

It was also during this time that Trump and Mexican president Pena Nieto had a “falling out” on the phone but they would eventually agree that they would not speak about their border wall negotiations publicly.

One of the ambassadors for the Mexican government was Luis Videgaray who said he had listened to the call but denied there was any hostility. However, weeks later, there did not seem to be much improvement in the relationship between both governments.

Mexican government meeting with Trump envoys

President Trump sent his envoys U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly to Mexico City to hold discussions on February 23, but according to Reuters, it was the Foreign Minister Videgaray who called the immigration guidelines imposed by the U.S.

as "hostile" on the Wednesday prior to their meeting, when it was reported that Trump's representatives would arrive.

The meeting took place during the same week the administration announced new executive orders signed by Kelly that Monday, which is largely interpreted as giving law enforcement broad powers to arrest, detain and deport illegal Mexican immigrants for any crime they commit in the United States, despite a promise from the administration that they would only go after illegal immigrants with greater criminal records.

The executive order appeared to give law enforcement the power to interpret the severity of the crime committed and even deport those with petty crimes.

More diplomatic than combative?

According to the Reuters article, Luis Videgaray reportedly said that there is no way that Mexico would accept the new rules. One of the new rules meant that even those deported who were not from Mexico would be sent there anyway, according to Blasting News.

Videgaray addressed reporters that Wednesday saying that the Mexican government would insist that the U.S. prove the nationality of the person they want to deport.

President Trump's persistence in saying that the Mexican government would pay for the border wall has reportedly created more tension between the two. The White House, however -- via Press Secretary Sean Spicer, downplayed the reported tension saying that relations between both countries are actually “phenomenal right now.” In an interview on CNN with Anderson Cooper, Videgaray also downplayed the tension, appearing far more diplomatic about their differences than the media had reported.

Initial hostilities

When Donald Trump was campaigning, he met with Mexican President Pena Nieto despite the anger from the Mexican people.

Prior to the arrival of Kelly and Tillerson, many in the government -- much like the demand from many in the Mexican government and citizens since Trump began his campaign -- urged Pena Nieto to not meet with Trump's envoys. The Mexican government also felt that the new order by Trump threatened the $2.6 billion they receive from the U. S. for security under the Merida Initiative.

To add, it's largely seen that the same executive orders were planned in such a way as to put pressure on Mexico and force them to compromise. At the time, the administration set their deadline for the following Friday to calculate all the money and grants that the U.S. gives to Mexico in order to use them to pay for the wall.

But even when Videgaray -- who resigned as Financial Minister last year after Trump met with Pena Nieto -- has been diplomatic, he has said that the Mexican government would turn to the United Nations for help against U.S. aggression. Trump has said if they don't get along with the Mexican government, then he's fine with it.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED